


Walking Through the Twilight

by SmartZelda



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: F/M, Pretty boy Link, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2019-10-28
Packaged: 2021-01-05 03:24:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21206600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmartZelda/pseuds/SmartZelda
Summary: You wake up in an unfamiliar world to you. Hyrule. With no memory of how you got there and why you're there, you join along with Link, the hero chosen by the goddesses, to save Hyrule and to hopefully recover your lost memories.





	1. As Our Paths Cross

**Author's Note:**

> Remember that The Legend of Zelda and all of its characters are owned by Nintendo. I do not own the characters or the story (game) this is based off of.
> 
> (Y/N)= Your name  
(F/C)= Favorite Color  
(D/H)= Dominant Hand  
(ND/H)= Non-dominant Hand  
(Bold in parentheses)= Used as an add on to joint character dialogue to distinguish what your oc says that is slightly different than what the other character(s) are saying at the same time

"Wait! No, (Y/N)!" A voice yells.

A crash...pain...sirens...fading...

What's...happening to me...

Darkness.

"...e..."

"h...l..."

"...ello..."

"hey..."

"Hey."

_A...voice..._

Someone begins lightly tapping your shoulder.

"Are you okay?"

_Eyes...hurt..._

You finally push your eyes open and are blinded by a great light.

"Ahhh!" You squeeze your eyes shut.

Eventually, you try to open them again, squinting in preparation for more light. However, when the light seems covered, a figure blocking your view, you try to open them more.

"Ahhh!" you cry as you feel a shot of pain through your forehead.

"I'll take that as a no..."

_That...sweet voice again..._

Looking up, you try your best to see who the voice belongs to, squinting even, but all you can see is..._green_.

"Here." The figure brings an object down near your chin.

"A...b-bottle..." you mutter.

"Drink it. It'll help you feel a bit better."

If you were in your right mind, you most likely would have shot the stranger above you a suspicious look, but you most definitely were not. You just wanted to feel better.

You can barely lift your arms, and noticing your struggle, the figure pushes them back to the ground.

"Don't do that to yourself. I'll help."

Your head lifts slowly, and soon, you feel a smooth rim of glass up on your lips.

You down whatever substance is in the bottle in quick gulps, and you instantly feel a bit better.

The stranger above you pulls back the bottle after you drain it.

Feeling better, your vision begins to clear up, and as your eyes finally adjust to the light, you see the face of a boy staring down at you.

"Is that better?", the boy asks.

"Yeah...a little..." you reply softly as you hand the bottle back to him.

_Although I am definitely still weak, I can feel...my strength returning...a little at a time._

You try to pull yourself up, but fall back in exhaustion. Luckily, the boy does his best to catch your head and cushion you on his lap again.

"Maybe you should wait a little while longer before trying to get up. You need to gather some more strength before you can try to sit up, let alone stand."

"Ok," you say softly.

_He's right...I must be...weaker than I thought._

You close your eyes to take some deep breaths for about five minutes. The boy stays silent himself during the whole period until you finally speak up.

"What was that stuff in the bottle?"

"Oh...that? It was just milk", he replies.

You both stay silent for a couple seconds before the boy speaks up again.

"It's not very fresh anymore...but I thought you might feel a little better if you had something to drink..." the boy smiles.

You nod, attempting to give a smile in thanks, then you begin to stare up at the stranger in silence. You only do that for a split second, however, as you realize you can't tell much about him in your current position.

"Hey...could you please help me up?"

"Do you think you'll be able to stand?"

"I'll try."

The boy hesitantly and cautiously lifts your head off his lap and onto the ground. He then lifts himself up off the ground and leans down to grab your arms. He pulls you up into a sitting position, then allows you to get used to sitting up before pulling you to your feet.

You begin to sway, but you don't fall as the boy immediately grabs your shoulders to keep you steady.

"You okay?"

"I think so."

The boy hesitantly brings his arms back from your shoulders. You don't sway this time, so he breathes a sigh of relief.

Now standing, you really start to study the boy in front of you.

_I get why I only saw him as a green figure before. Not only is he wearing a green hat and tunic, but he just has this...green aura surrounding him in a soft glow. And besides that...his eyes. His golden blond hair compliments his sharp, piercing sapphire eyes...and sticking out from his hair are his pointed ears, pierced with little blue-stained hoop earrings. To be honest..._

"He's a pretty boy." You laugh mentally.

_A pretty boy with a love for the color green apparently. But...in all seriousness...who-_

"A what?" the boy inquires in surprise.

You immediately cover your mouth after the boy's question.

_Did I say that out loud?_

"It, uh...doesn't matter..."

"Um, okay," the boy nods.

"So uh...who are you?" you quickly ask the boy.

"Oh, I-I uh...my name is Link," the boy replies, startled by your question.

You take a look at your surroundings before you ask, "Link...where...are we?"

"We're on the South side of Hyrule on the Southern edge of Faron Woods."

You can kinda see the 'Woods' part of the name Faron Woods. The area you're in is pretty cleared out, with very few trees and rocks in the area, but above and behind the rock wall that completely surrounds the area you're in (with the exception of the pathway through and beyond the area that continues it on and leads out of it) are trees. The problem is, although you know that you're in Faron Woods in Hyrule, you still don't _really _know where you are.

"(Y/N)...do you know where Hyrule is?" Link asks after watching your face scrunch up in confusion.

"No...I don't..."

Link kinda rubs the back of his head after standing in thought, "Is there anything you remember before I found you in these woods? Like...your name?"

"Why do you ask?" you question him.

"I was just thinking that it might help you figure out how you got here."

_I really don't remember anything...well, except..._

You think really hard back to before you woke up. "Well... I think...all I remember is darkness...a loud noise...and...someone calling my name...That's it I think." You kinda look down.

I _feel bad for not being able to tell him more._

"You said you think you remember your name, right? What is it?" Link tries.

"Oh, my name is...(Y/N). Yeah...(Y/N)," you confirm, trying to muster up a smile before your head begins to hurt again.

"Ow..." you press your hand to your forehead.

"(Y/N)? Are you okay?", he asks, clearly concerned.

"Yeah...I'm fine". You muster up a smile through the pain and he nods.

"Okay. Well, in any case" Link decides, "I'll take you to Ordon Village. One of the villagers might be able to make sure you really are okay."

You nod, and Link holds your hand as the two of you walk to the village.

\-----------------------------------------------------------

"So... (Y/N), right?"

"Yes mam," (Y/N) responds while fiddling with her thumbs.

_I can tell (Y/N)'s afraid that she might have something worse than a hurting forehead. She probably won't remember anything if she's confined in a bed...I hope Uli has good news._

"So, (Y/N)", Uli pauses for a second and smiles.

(Y/N) takes a deep breath. The woman's smile eases her fears for a second.

"You seem to be pretty healthy. Besides the small bump on your forehead, I think you're fine." Uli proudly says.

_I think Uli is a little relieved too. She just lost Colin a couple days ago, Rusl doesn't seem to be here, and she has a baby on the way. She needs a bit of relief._

"Thank goodness", (Y/N) whispers softly to herself.

"Thanks Uli," Link smiles before (Y/N) chimes in cheerfully.

"Thanks mam!"

"Oh, no problem," Uli smiles, "you are very much welcome."

About half a second later Uli remembers, "Oh, and (Y/N) dear. You may call me Uli or Miss Uli if you would like. Bye you two!" Uli waves as both (Y/N) and Link begin to walk out.

"Bye **(Miss) **Uli!" (Y/N) and Link wave as they walk out the front door of the small house.

Link and (Y/N) are walking, and as both near a treehouse towards the edge of the village, (Y/N) pauses.

"What's wrong, (Y/N)?" Link asks.

"Well... I just realized that...well..." (Y/N) pauses and closes her eyes in thought.

After a few seconds, she finally starts to speak again, "I just realized that I just started walking along with you, but I didn't ask where you were going, or if I could even come..."

After a second she looks up at Link and asks, "But, Link I-I mean if I'm not a burden to you...Would you please take me with you?"

Link's face hardens. "Are you sure you want to come with me, (Y/N)?"

_I didn't know what I was going to do with her anyways. I thought about leaving her with Uli...though that doesn't seem right...but I really didn't expect her to ask to come with me..._

"I-I think so... I mean, it would be way more exciting than just staying back in some village...I-I mean, not that Ordon isn't nice it's just...I'm craving a little adventure, you know? And I want to figure out this world I've found myself in."

Link's face softens a bit. He then smirks and says, "Well, (Y/N), if you're going to come along with me, then I'll have to prepare you as best I can."

Link runs to the treehouse, climbs the ladder, and walks in, shutting the door behind him.

_Where...uhhh...aha! There we go!_

After about ten minutes, Link opens up the door and climbs down the ladder to see (Y/N) staring at a sign in front of the treehouse. This particular sign read "Link's House" in bold letters.

"Sorry about the wait, (Y/N)," Link says sheepishly. "It isn't much, but I did manage to find you a belt with adventure pouches to hold stuff, an extra wallet, and a nice pair a clothes and small knee high boots. The clothes and boots are a bit too small for me, but will work better on an adventure than what you're currently wearing."

(Y/N) looks down at her clothes.

"Have they been torn and ripped this whole time?"

"Sorry, (Y/N)...I'm afraid so."

"Well...thank you, Link," (Y/N) smiles as she takes the items from him and climbs the ladder up into the treehouse. She opens the door to walk in before shutting it behind herself.

Link waits patiently before (Y/N) finally steps out of his treehouse and climbs down the ladder.

_I'm glad I didn't give away those clothes after I grew out of them a few years ago...Otherwise, (Y/N) would _ _have_ _ to travel around in her heavier torn up clothes._

"So, (Y/N), how are the clothes?" Link asks.

"Um...pretty good I think," (Y/N) smiles. "The pants and the small boots fit pretty well and the shirt is only a little big on me. Plus, I couldn't believe that the shirt is (F/C) which is my favorite color."

"That's great!" Link smiles.

I _didn't know that (F/C) was her favorite color, but I'm even more glad that I had those clothes now._

"Ok, (Y/N). I'm going to fill you in on where we're going..."

A few seconds after Link finishes talking, (Y/N) speaks up.

"So, basically, we need to find the Forest Temple, and once we're inside, we need to find this thing called a fused shadow?"

"That's right, (Y/N)," he replies, smiling again. "So, are you ready to go, (Y/N)?"

"I think so," she says a bit confidently.

"Ok then, so if we don't have anything else to do...Oh yeah! I almost forgot," Link kinda chuckles to himself in embarrassment. "(Y/N), take this slingshot."

Link takes a slingshot and some slingshot pellets from one of his own adventure pouches and holds them out to (Y/N).

She takes them from his outstretched hand before inquiring, "A slingshot? What am I going to do with it...shoot a few bugs?"

_She must be disappointed..._

"Sorry, (Y/N)" Link frowns and sighs. "I wanted to give you a sword...and maybe a shield...but I only have one of each of those, and that slingshot is the only other weapon I own. You can't kill any monsters or anything with it, except keese, but you can at least stun them."

"Thank you Link," (Y/N) tries to smile.

"Don't worry, (Y/N)," he smiles and rubs the back of his head. "I'll be sure to get you a sword and shield-or at least a better weapon-as soon as possible. Then, I'll teach you how to use it."

He gives (Y/N) a thumbs up, then starts off past the treehouse at a mid jog.

(Y/N) quickly stuffs the slingshot and the pellets into one of her adventure pouches, then tries to run after him. She settles down into a mid jog once she finally catches up.

"Try not to leave me in the dust," she laughs.

"Sorry, (Y/N)," he apologizes sheepily. "I promise I'll tell you next time when we need to go. I do want to let you know that we are going to try to go at least sorta fast though."

"Sounds good," she smiles and gives him a thumbs up as both of them begin to jog over the bridge leading to Faron Woods.


	2. Stay Behind Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link and (Y/N) traverse the poison purple mist area on the way to the Temple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember that The Legend of Zelda and all of its characters are owned by Nintendo. I do not own the characters or the story (game) this is based off of.

"Wait." Link slows to a halt and sticks his right arm out in front of you. After you come to a halt, he slowly lowers his right arm and brings his left up to one of his adventure pouches where he draws out an oil lantern.

A guy named Coro had just given Link that lantern only like 10 minutes before, and Link had thankfully stuffed it into one of his adventure pouches. You asked at one point how it fit in such a small pouch, but he basically just told you that the adventure pouches have almost unlimited space inside, and that, although he was pretty sure they weren't magic, he didn't know how holding items in the pouches didn't make the pouches any heavier. You're glad he has the lantern though, because as you look ahead, you notice that not very far away is a whole area covered in a deep purple mist. The mist causes the whole area (which already looked pretty dark due to the trees covering the sky) to become darker.

"Stay behind me (Y/N)," Link whispers, looking back to you with a cautionary glare. He looks back forward after receiving your little nod, and begins to walk forward, his lantern out in front of him.

You keep the slow pace behind him as the both of you continue towards the purple mist.

You look around warily at your surroundings.

_It feels as if something is...watching us._

The closer to the mist you and Link get, the more you notice: the rustle in the trees, eyes peeping out from behind a boulder.

All you can hear is the wind as the two of you begin walking across a dock. You turn to look behind you, stopping as you finally spot your stalker.

"It's...a-a monkey!" You blurt out. You mentally curse yourself as you cringe.

_I can’t believe I said that out loud..._

Link stops abruptly after hearing your outburst, and moves his head and around to spot said monkey; however, it had disappeared just as you spotted it.

After a second or so, Link beckons you to walk forward, and the two of you begin to cautiously walk across the dock again, Link slowly turning his head side to side.

The two of you almost reach the edge of the dock before you spot it again.

"Li-"

But you are too late as the monkey swiftly snatches Link's lantern, hanging it at the end of a long straight stick, and bounds into the mist.

The monkey uses the lantern to cut a pathway through the mist, swinging it around to clear as much as possible.

"Hey come back here!" you yell at the monkey as you run after it.

Link comes running after you, the dark mist closing in behind him. He swiftly brings out his sword, slaying the small keese that home in on him as he starts to reach you.

You keep running until the monkey halts, cowering in place.

"Wha-"

Something sharp binds your waist, pulling you back.

You struggle to get free, squirming as you try to wriggle out of the sharp grip.

"Ahh...let...go..."

You look down at your waist, deep, purplish saliva running down your pant legs.

_The sharpness is the short, sharp teeth._

"(Y/N)!" Link yells. He continues to run toward you, about to catch up as you struggle.

_I'm being...eaten!_

You slam your fists down multiple times on whatever monster is holding you with it's teeth as hard as you can, and just as Link arrives, you get the monster to loosen its grip in pain, just enough to wriggle free. You run a foot or two behind link before he brings his sword down on the monster, killing it with a few strokes.

Link puts away his sword in the sheath on his back and holds your hands in his.

"(Y/N)." Link stares into your eyes, his radiating with concern.

"But, Link the-" you begin as you watch behind Link, witnessing the monkey get up and run away through the mist, still with Link's lantern.

"Are you okay?" he asks, cutting you off.

"Yeah I think so..." you say. "But-" this time you cut yourself off, your eyes drifting over to the mist as he continues to stare them.

_The pathway's filling in again._

Link realizes there must be something wrong as you remain unresponsive, staring at the mist, and he starts waving his hands in front of your face.

"(Y/N)? (Y/N)!"

Your (D/H) hand begins to tingle, and you look down as the purple mist slowly engulfes your hand.

Then suddenly, it begins to burn.

Link stops trying to snap you out of it after he notices your hand and the mist.

You remain staring at your burning hand, hypnotized.

Link quickly pulls you away from the mist and you immediately yelp, your trance broken.

"Nnnmmnn!"

He picks you up bridal style, then sprints towards the monkey as he tries to escape from the closing mist with you in his arms.

The rest of your pained grunts are mental as you try not to seem too hurt, but your pained breathing is very audible, and some of the grunts make their way out.

The monkey stands on an area of uncovered land as it penetrates the last of the mist, Link running not too far behind, still carrying you.

Once he clears the mist, he slowly lowers you down to the hard ground, then himself bends down beside you.

"Clang!"

You look over as the monkey runs away, Link's lantern lying on the ground. You spot a glimmer of red as the monkey disappears.

_I wonder if it's from a type of gem?_

"Link," you breathe from exhaustion as you point at his lantern. "Your lantern."

"(Y/N), are you okay?" Link stares into your eyes once again with more concern than before.

"I think so," you force a slight smile.

"Are you sure?" Link raises his eyebrow, then lightly touches your left hand.

"Ahhh!" You let out another tiny yelp the instant his fingertip meets your (D/H) hand.

Link frowns, eyes turning to his waist as he reaches down into one of his pouches and begins to dig around.

_His eyes seem so sharp when he travels and fights._

He finally pulls out a roll of bandage and a bottle of ointment. He uncorks the bottle of ointment, holding it with his right hand, and dips in both his index and middle finger on his left hand.

_I wonder if the ointment is homemade?_

He starts lightly spreading the ointment all over your hand, dipping his fingers back in the bottle whenever he needs more to finish covering your hand.

You flinch a lot, trying not to yelp as his fingers run over your hand and the ointment burns your skin.

_But...ahhh...his eyes seem...ahhh...soft..._

He wipes his hand on his tunic to get the rest of the ointment off, then begins to bandage your hand. As he does so, your hand stops burning, the ointment beginning to cool rather than burn.

_Ahhhh..._

You begin to smile in relief, then continue to stare at his eyes.

_His eyes are definitely much softer now than they are most of the time. But why? What changes their sharpness so?_

As Link finishes bandaging your hand, he lowers it gently to the ground. Afterwards, he rolls the bandages back up and recorks the ointment before placing them back into one of his adventure pouches.

"There you go," Link sighs. "This'll last until we make our way to a spirit's spring. Then you'll be all healed up."

Link lets you rest for a minute before he slowly pushes himself up, then he reaches down to your waist after you sit up to pick you up and set you back on your feet.

"Try not to be too reckless. Okay, (Y/N)?"

"Okay, Link," you half smile.

The smile slowly returns to Link's face as he sighs, "Ok."

Link looks over to where the lantern fell earlier and steps over to it.

_I guess he did pay attention..._

Link begins to inspect the lantern after picking it up. Then, after a minute, he digs around in one of his pouches once again before taking out a bottle filled with lantern oil he bought from Coro. He uncorks the glass bottle and pours the oil into the lantern to refill it.

_The monkey must have used it all up._

Once the lantern is all filled up and the glass bottle empty, Link places both the it and the lantern in his adventure pouches.

Link stares straight ahead for a few seconds before snapping back into reality.

_Maybe he got stuck in thought or something._

He looks back at you and gives you a single thumbs up, signaling the both of you to start back at a mid jog. Luckily, although you were exhausted before, your strength returns fast enough as long as you rest for a minute, so the two of you easily begin to jog out into the light, through the path ahead, and towards the temple.

~

_Gosh. (Y/N)'s probably been wondering why I've been so concerned_. _She's far from helpless, it's just that she seems a bit lacking in physical strength unless._.._Well anyways, I really want to save my friends. I can’t let _**_that_**_ happen to (Y/N) like it did to them. I'm glad she's here to help, but I'm going to protect her as much as I can._

Link begins to smile as he looks ahead.

_That windy path ahead...it must lead to the temple._

Link's eyes trail up the path ahead as he and (Y/N) continue along at a moderate walking pace.

_Yup. There it is at the top._

"(Y/N), look! The temple!"

The two bounce forward into a jog again.

Shortly after, however, they both stop suddenly.

"(Y/N)." Link orders cautiously, "Get behind me."

(Y/N) quickly hides behind Link.

"A wolf." Link growls.

The wolf's fur looks golden and inviting, probably soft; however, the beasts teeth are barred as it snarls, thick slobber dripping from its teeth.

_Ok, (Y/N) should be okay as long as she stands still_, Link calmly thinks. _I'll deal with the wolf._

Link pulls his sword from its sheath and settles into a fighting stance, his eyes becoming as sharp as the wolf's teeth.

The wolf pounces, and at the same time, Link jumps into a jump attack, bringing down his sword. A flash of bright light engulfs the area as fangs and sword clash, before leaving only...

Darkness.


	3. For As You Begin To Gain Confidence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link and (Y/N) wake up in the Ghostly Ether, each meet a stranger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember that The Legend of Zelda and all of its characters are owned by Nintendo. I do not own the characters or the story (game) this is based off of.

"..."

"(Y/N)?" Link begins to open his eyes to a slightly dark and cloudy sky. He feels the ground under his back.

_Solid._

His eyes lower as he turns over, his head facing the ground. He feels the ground with left hand.

_Fluffy...cloud? All grayish-white. Fluffy, yet solid_.

"Gr..."

"(Y/N)? Are you there?"

Link pushes himself up off the ground, first, to his knees, and second, to his feet. He straightens out his body, rolling his shoulders, cracking his neck, and loosening his arms. He bends down to grab his sword and, feeling it's hilt, stands back up. Holding his sword down to his left side, he begins to walk forward through the dreary, gray atmosphere, looking left and right for any sign of (Y/N).

"Grrrrr..."

Out of the corner of his eye he spots a glint of gold.

_Gold and the growl...The wolf! _Link's mind screams.

He rapidly unhooks his shield from his back as he turns around to face the wolf.

_Where'd the wolf go? _Link's mind panics as he realizes what's now standing before him.

A shockingly tall skeleton, clad in armor, stands before him, it's red eyes bearing through Link's own blues. He only stands still as he looks up at the massive skeleton warrior. Readying its massive sword and shield, it quickly settles into a defensive stance.

The short spell on Link soon breaks, and he, eager to make the first move, sprints up to the skeleton.

"Hyahh!"

He makes a long vertical stroke with his sword; however, Link's stroke only glances off the skeleton's massive shield, leaving himself open for attack.

Seizing its chance, the skeleton immediately pushes Link to the ground with its sword.

Link's eyes open wide as he falls back to the ground, the skeleton's sword flat across his chest up until just before his body impacts, signaling shock throughout his body.

"Ughh," Link grunts.

He barely has the chance to even lift his head before the skeleton rapidly swings his sword down.

The skeleton's eyes still train themselves on Link, glowering through its helm as it holds its sword up to Link's throat.

"A sword wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage," the skeleton speaks confidently with a deep voice.

_The _skeleton it...speaks!?

~

"Nnyeh...mmm..."

You begin to stir, your eyes opening slowly as you adjust your uncomfortable body. You slowly start to sit up as your eyes adjust to the light of the area.

"Ugh," you begin to sigh. You feel the ground below you.

_Fluffy...and solid, but..._

_"Ahh..."_

Uncomfortable...headache...

You reach your hand up to your forehead and sit there for a few seconds, squeezing your eyes closed.

It's probably just from the bright light flash from...from...from...the...the wolf. The wolf!

You hurry to stand up, which, unfortunately, worsens your headache a bit.

"Just work through it," you mumble to yourself as you begin your search for the wolf.

You start by walking forward, seeing as the expansive area you find yourself in looked the same (gray, dreary, and unsettling) in every direction. Your eyes dart all around as you try to catch even a glimpse of the wolf.

You spot a bit of green somewhere far to the left of you and pause.

_What if it's Link?_

You turn left and quickly begin running in that direction.

"Link! Link!" you yell as you continue to run towards the figure in green.

*Bang!*

You fall backwards onto your butt.

"Hmmm...okay..."

You use your (ND/H) hand to help push yourself back up.

"Ahhh..."

_Of course. Now my forehead is worse, and I've got a bruised butt._

You feel a pulsing in your forehead and bring your (D/H) hand up to the area where it really hurts.

_I can’t exactly feel the bump because of my hand...but it's definitely there._

You sigh aloud.

_I don't know if it healed from before, but...it's definitely bigger now than the last time._

You rub your butt as you finally straighten yourself out.

"Ahhh..." you feel the pulsing again.

You eventually look ahead again.

"Link!"

*tap* *tap*

At first, you tap on the invisible wall in front of you slowly, then a bit faster. Soon you're banging on it, yelling, "Link! LINK! LINK!"

"He can't hear you."

You turn right and jump back into a defensive stance with a start. A stranger wearing a black hooded cloak stands, facing you.

"Wh-who are you?" you ask nervously.

"Well I would like to ask the same of you," the hooded stranger answers.

"I'm (Y/N)," you tell the stranger. "Are you going to do something to me?"

"Well that depends," the stranger says. "Why and how are you here?"

"U-umm I-I don't know," you stutter. "Link and I were almost to-" you abruptly cover your mouth.

_Wait, why did I begin to blab to her? I don't even know who she is yet. Yet...somehow...she has a...familiar...sort of feel._

"The Forest Temple." the figure finishes your sentence.

_How...did she know?_

The hooded figure examines you for a second before lowering her hood. She has pointed ears (much like Link's) pierced with black metal hoop earrings. Her ears stick out through her long, chestnut hair, and settled on her head is a gold tiara that sports an aquamarine-ish colored gemstone placed in the middle. The gemstone compliments her pretty, cornflower blue eyes.

"My name is Zelda. Princess of Hyrule," the woman says confidently.

_Hmm...That name sounds oddly...familiar as well..._

"Pleasure to meet you, princess," you say with a smile as you curtsy.

Zelda smiles and nods at you before turning and facing herself in front of the invisible wall.

"Look," she says, pointing ahead.

You turn back to the invisible wall and her arm lowers back to her side.

You can see Link ahead, past the wall.

_No wolf, but...a tall skeleton. A...very tall skeleton with armor, and a shield...and a-a sword..._

The skeleton stands still in its fighting stance, holding its massive shield and sword up as Link charges. Once Link gets up close to the skeleton, he takes five quick strokes. As the skeleton falls over, laying on the ground, open for attack, Link readies his sword aboves his head and pounces. He brings his sword down in the air and finishes with a final stab on where the skeleton's heart would be if he had one.

After a second or two, Link pulls his sword out of the skeleton, and straightens his own body out. He walks a few feet away from the skeleton and turns back to face it.

"What is he doing?" you mumble to yourself.

Then, you see movement as the skeleton's hand tightens around the hilt of its sword.

"LINK!"

"Wait," Zelda commands. "Just watch."

You shut your mouth and look back as the skeleton lifts itself up.

You watch as the skeleton and Link face each other.

_Wait they're...conversing? I can't hear it, but...the skeleton is definitely telling Link something. I can see Link opening his mouth, then nodding every couple seconds._

Link gives one final nod, then turns around to face away from the skeleton.

_They must be done._

"I assume you'll be leaving now," Zelda says, her voice still laced with confidence.

"What do you mean?" You confusingly respond back, turning to the woman.

"You'll see," Zelda insists. "He'll go first since he woke up here first, then you will go shortly after since you woke up second."

"But why are we leaving?"

"Neither of you have any reason to be here anymore," Zelda replies, "so it's time for you to go."

You look back at Link, a look of confusion still plastered on your face. In a few short seconds, He vanishes in a short burst of bright white light.

_Where did he go? What happened?!_

You open your mouth to question Zelda, but your words become history as your body goes completely numb, and your vision goes completely white for a second before plummeting into deep darkness.

~

"..."

"...(y..."

"... (y/n)..."

"What?" you mutter.

"(Y/N)!"

"Huh, what? What?" you say as your eyes flutter open. Link is above you, trying to shake you awake.

"(Y/N)!" Link exclaims as he sits you up. "I'm glad you're okay," he sighs with relief.

Link holds his hand out, and you reach your (ND/H) out and take it. He pulls you up into a standing position.

You breath out a sigh before you say, "Thanks", then smile briefly.

It is now that you look around, at the trees, and the path leading forward.

_We're...back in Faron Woods...where the wolf was..._

The two of you begin to walk up the short windy path to the temple. Up ahead in front of the temple stands two short pedestals made from tree stumps. The area is small.

You walk over to the side of the short walls (only a couple of feet high) and look over the edge, a shudder rolling through your body.

_It's a bottomless abyss..._

You then look over to the temple entrance.

_There's a big spiderweb covering the entrance._

You tread to the entrance while Link bounces ahead. He waits until you stand beside him before he confidently pulls his lantern out of his adventure pouch.

"For setting the web on fire," Link grins, smirking.

As he makes one stroke of the lantern against the web, a small part catches fire, and the fire travels fast. The whole web is quickly flaming, and you watch as areas of it blacken and burn up, till it is no more. As you look into the dark entrance of the temple, the barely familiar stench of burning lantern oil fills your nostrils.

Link steps backwards a few inches to be beside you as both of you face the entrance.

"So...are you ready (Y/N)? Ready to face the Forest Temple?" Link asks you with a straight face.

"Ready enough," you say confidently.

_I am a little nervous, but I'm curious to see the temple as well..._

Link smirks and chimes in, "Ok then, (Y/N). Let's do this!"

The two of you walk through the shadowed entrance, Link's lantern cutting through a bit of the darkness. You prepare the slingshot Link gave you as well. Just in case.


	4. You Must Still Be Careful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link and (Y/N) enter the Forest Temple.  
Zelda ponders the events in the ether as well as the existence of (Y/N) in her tower prison.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember that The Legend of Zelda and all of its characters are owned by Nintendo. I do not own the characters or the story (game) this is based off of.

"Who in the world could this...(Y/N) be?" Zelda mumbles.

Moments later, her eyes flutter open, frantically scanning the area.

_Maybe..._ _there's a...chair over here...and...a bookshelf...over there. But over there...it's a bit...brighter._

The woman makes up her mind in the bluriness and tries to get up.

"Ahh," she winces, her legs, back, and shoulders aching as soon as she tries.

She sits back in the terribly worn chair for a second and closes her eyes.

_I want to go over there._

She pauses, then finally takes a deep breath in and tries again.

Her knees, elbows, and pretty much everything that can pop does as she rises into a standing position.

_I refuse to let a few aches stop me from what I want._

The woman stares at the light and begins to stride towards it. She continues even as her knees buckle and lock, and as she does, more of the room she's in is revealed to her- some empty bookshelves and a small worn table- yet...she continues to turn her gaze to the light.

She halts at the edge of the room, in front of a window, as her pupils finish dialating.

_I finally see it at the edge of the world from this tower. I see it past castle town. And I can see it through this big window._

And true to what she thought, at the edge of the world from where she stands, gleams a green light, the color of olive, and a gray light, on the lighter side of the spectrum.

Zelda brings up her hand which she rests on the cold, hard glass of the intricately barred window.

"Unless Midna and Link can save them, Castle Town's residents will continue to wander as doomed souls, barely knowing of the constant danger that surrounds them," Zelda whispers morosely, shifting her saddened gaze from the light to the sad town below.

_And...the girl. The girl with them...(Y/N), I think...What is her purpose?...Is it to save us? She can't just be useless because...the living are normally only brought to that area of the Ghostly Ether if the Shade wills it..._

She then stands in silence once again for but a moment, scrunching up her face, before beginning to pace the room back and forth and back and forth. She stares ahead intently with every pace and turn.

What feels like half an hour later, she pauses, shifting her gaze downward as she leans the side of her face onto one of her hands.

"I need to so some research," Zelda whispers into the air. "Maybe...in the castle library. Zant had some of the books ordered out of the castle...which I actually couldn't believe he came up with that idea on his own," Zelda lightly chuckles at her thought. "I mean, he is a force to be reckoned with. That's for sure. But I don't think he could come up with his plan alone. I mean, he probably decided to come alone before he enacted his plan to march into this castle, then someone had to advise him to bring backup..."

"No matter," Zelda interrupts her own aloud thoughts. "I want to check the library still. It's possible there are some history books or journals or something that were left untouched that could help answer my lingering questions....I should ask the guard if I can go to keep a low profile, but if he refuses..." Zelda pulls the hood of her black cloak over her head. "I'm not opposed to going myself."

~

A small shudder worms its way through your body as you and Link progress through the extremely dim, shadow pervaded hallway. You could barely see, even if you concentrated.

_Ughhh...Gross...,_ you mentally complain. You stop breathing through your nose in an attempt to ignore the damp, dank, moldy smell of the hallway, but you resist the urge to complain aloud and scrub your tongue with your hands as the damp moldiness pervades another sense.

You bring your head up to look at Link, while the the two of you walk. You could see him the best due to a faint green light aura surrounding him.

_Huh...he has this kind of striking masculine beauty. The beauty of a forest elf perhaps, like the ones from...books I think...Even in this dim light._

You watch as his sharp, angular eyes cautiously flit around, studying your shared surroundings, and a smile creeps it's way up to your face.

_It's somewhat reassuring...knowing that he’s ready for the action. Here I am, gripping my slingshot in fear, while Link is prepared to fight for the both of us._

The smile leaves your face about as fast as it came.

_I don’t want anyone to have to worry about me._

Your hands tighten around the slingshot and the ammo pellets. And another shudder rolls up your spine.

_It's not fair...It's up to _ _ **me** _ _ to deal with myself._

The two of you near the end of the hallway, your eyes by this point darting here and there as your breathing rate speeds up, and the guilt holds its place in your heart. Your slingshot is raised now, and your hands move around just as sharply, yet choppily, as you even check behind yourself for danger.

"SCREEECH!"

The split second you hear the sound, your eyes immediately turn to Link's face, then you raise your head higher and higher up towards the ceiling. You gasp and tremble for a split second before you turn your eyes back to Link, who had already begun to move.

Your eyes lock onto a glint of silver, the flash of metal as two, flying, smallish black shapes fall to the ground.

You sigh in relief, loosening your grip on the slingshot as Link stands still, having dispatched what were probably little monsters pretty quickly. Except for some reason, 'bats' was actually the first word that came to your mind instead of monster.

_What is even a "bat"? Were those bats?_

Link sighs, turning to you yet again with a bit of concern in his eyes.

Actually...he does more than just look at you, he walks a bit closer to you, then places his right hand on your shoulder, his left holding his sword down at his side.

"Are you okay, (Y/N)?" Link asks.

"Yeah," you nod. "I just didn't know what they were. They were a bit scary, but they're only bats, right? It really only felt that way because they startled me."

"Keese." Link kind of whispers, looking away from you now.

"What?"

"Oh." His eyes turn back to your face. "They're called 'keese', not 'bats'," Link replies sheepishly. "They’re not too bad though. They really only go for me but even then..." Link pauses for a moment. "But regardless of it being a minor moment, I'm glad you're okay."

As the two of you press on, before the both of you totally face forward, you watch as Link's sapphire eyes dull and harden themselves a bit.

_What's going through his head right now?_

The both of you are facing forward as the two of you exit the hallway, Link in front, and you behind.

Luckily, the room the two of you find yourself in isn't nearly as dim and shadowy as the hallway.

_There are totem poles on the side of the path. I believe they're a good amount of feet apart...maybe five...going forward._

Link slays baba serpent by baba serpent (he discussed with you the difference between as well as the patterns of deku babas and baba serpents after the two of you had exited the misty clearing), and as the two of you tread the pathway in the middle of the room, and as he fells the last one, you spot a cylindrical cage ahead with a brown figure sitting inside.

You then spot the two humanoid-ish blue monsters surrounding the cage. Your brain couldn't even spout a name for them.

_Have I seen these before? What are they?...I think they're monsters...but I don't have a sword. What can I do? _

You realize, moving closer, the figure inside the cage is a monkey, cowering, trembling, curled up into a ball. The weight of the guilt in your heart increases, your eyes shifting to the ground.

_I...don't know what to do._

You finally bring your eyes up the moment Link darts forward.

_I guess he hesitated before like me, yet...he probably came up with a plan so quickly..._

You continue to spectate as he quickly nears the monsters.

_More weight...my heart. I-I just...I can’t...I must do something._

You almost want to scream your self frustration out inside your head.

_I just can't let him do it alone._

You ready your slingshot again, taking only a second or two of aiming to rapid fire two pellets.

Link points his sword towards the first monster.

The first pellet whirs towards the first monster, and it hits its eye, effectively stunning it.

And all at the same time:

Link takes his chance on the first monster's opening and begins with a flurry of slices.

And the second pellet hits the eye of the second monster, just as it had raised its club above Link.

As you watch, the first one falls to the ground, but not before Link suddenly turns around and slices through the second monster, and just as the first monster's body impacts, Link leaps up over the second monster. He sits in the air for but a split second before driving his sword into the center of the monster as he falls sharply, calculated, and yet, gracefully.

As Link stands back up and yanks the sword out of the second monster's body, the two of you watch as both the monsters ooze out deep purple blood, about the color of the poison mist in the forest clearing, before their bodies and the blood sink deep into the ground.

Silence.

You finally awaken from your trance when you remember the monkey, and you transition from staring at the now barren spot on the ground, to turning around and walking over to the cylindrical cage. You sit down on your knees to face the cage in which the monkey continues to cower, trembling.

You grip your good hand around the bars, shaking it a bit at first.

_This is a tough cage._

But then you grunt, desperately beginning, trying, to pull it apart, piece by piece. However, it's quite sturdy for a wood cage, and no matter how you put it, there was no way you were going to be able to pull a single piece apart, especially since you had only a single hand to work with.

"(Y/N)."

You turn your head and raise it up to see Link.

"Move aside."

You acknowledge him with a nod, then stand up to move away from the cage.

Link stands in front of the cage once you are a good enough distance away and swings his sword into it, smacking it **hard**.

Impact. You watch as the whole cage (it really just breaks apart) explodes into pieces.

Link sheaths his sword, which makes a weirdly satisfying sound, and stands up straight. You can see a few beads of sweat on his face. Probably from fighting the monsters.

Comparatively, you are also sweating a bit, but just from nervousness.

You look down at your knees.

_I'm glad I didn't just mess it up for Link when I tried to help._

You then raise your head a bit from its position facing your knees to look at the monkey.

"Are you okay?" you ask with concern.

The monkey looks a bit scared for a bit, but then begins jumping up and down in happiness. The monkey then begins to climb the vines on a wall near the cage, one directly in the pathway, stopping once it gets to the top. It looks down at you and Link and seems to beckon the two of you to follow as it jumps up and down, then gives a little wave.

"I guess so," Link began to chuckle.

You giggle a bit too before taking out your slingshot to shoot these two...spiders?...off the vines. As with before, using the slingshot doesn't bother your (D/H) hand.

Link seems to be staring into space while you begin shooting at the spiders.

It takes a few tries, due to how the spiders move, but soon you shoot them down, watching them curl up on the vines and fall to the ground, before they sink into it like the two monsters from before, and likely, the keese.

You then look over at Link, who _still_ seems to be staring into space. You wave your hand in front of his face.

No movement.

_Ummm...okay._ _.._

You look back over to the wall.

_Uh..._, you think with a small, nervous  
tremble._ I guess I should try._

You look at the vines with hesitation, but after a second or so, you finally bring up your (ND/H) hand to hold onto the vine wall. Then, you plant your left foot in the vines, and follow with your right foot. You lift up your left foot half a foot higher, and then bring up your bandaged (D/H) hand so you can climb up. However, when you try to pull on the vine with it, a burst of pain shoots through your (D/H) hand. Your eyes open wide as you fall to the ground, your bandaged hand throbbing.

You try not to make a sound as you hit the ground, but you almost begin to cry both from the impact and from your throbbing hand.

The small impact shocks Link out of his stare. He looks over at you, and moves quickly to help you up.

"(Y/N), are you okay?"

You look up at his concerned face, and hope he doesn't see the small tears in your eyes as you reach your arm with your healthy hand up.

As he takes it and pulls you up, you say to him, "Yeah, I'm okay," and you fake a smile.

Link breathes a sigh of relief and begins climbing up the short vines. It becomes a pretty quick climb for him since the wall with the vines is only like five or six feet up.

Link stands up and turns around to look down at you. He stares at you for a second or two before he beckons you closer to the vine wall. You swear afterwards that you heard someone say the word 'idiot', although you heard it very faintly.

You move closer to the wall.

"Ok, (Y/N), I'm going to try to pull you up."

You nod, and he reaches down to hold each of your arms. You hold his arms with your hands as well (well...with your (ND/H) hand at least), and he slowly pulls you up.

When Link brings you to the top, helping you up on your feet, you give a sweet 'thank you' before the two of you follow the monkey forward and over to a huge round stone with an interesting symbol etched on it.

_This_ _symbol...reminds me of something. But I can't place what..._

Link stands there for a second, probably analyzing the stone, before he readies himself. He places his hands on the stone, plants his feet, and grunts as he pushes the stone aside, revealing a hole in the wall that leads to another room.

The monkey waddles over to the opening, beckons the two of you again, and then, after a bit of jumping up and down again, springs through the opening in the wall.

It is then you notice a red kind of crystal rose on the monkey's head.

_The monkey from before! I can't believe that same monkey is the one Link saved here!...Should we trust her?_

Link looks at you, then walks through the opening himself.

_Well..._ _if Link trusts her, we'll follow her, but I'm still going to stay alert and cautious._

You follow the monkey and Link through the opening after checking your pouch.

_Nothing stolen, but I need more pellets for the slingshot. That's fine_ _._

Then, you sigh.

_I still hope I won't be too much trouble for Link._

**Author's Note:**

> Just so you know, I wrote this a couple of years ago. Sorry if it was cringy. I started writing my Kingdom Hearts stuff long after I started this


End file.
